The Labyrinth of Fears
by The Violet Flames of Moonlight
Summary: Axel has a problem, something traumatizing that he doesn't want anyone else to know. However, his lover Luxord finds out. How will he take this news, and what will he do about it? Rated M for Marluxia. Contains Luxel, mild graphic MarluxiaXAxel, some literal character bashing.
1. Chapter 1

He crept up behind the redhead, rubbing his shoulders and whispering "greetings, Dear" into his ear. Axel whirled around, ready to slap him, stopping short with realization. "Oh, it's you..." he whispered, sighing heavily. "Don't _do _that, man! I thought you were Marluxia." Luxord stared at him, stunned. "Is everything alright?" Axel nodded, chin on his hand. Sitting on the couch next to the redhead, he swivelled around and stared at his averted eyes. Finally turning to face him, Axel gave a Cheshire grin, half-lidding his eyes playfully. "I know I'm beautiful," he whispered seductively. "But it's rude to stare." Luxord blinked twice, unaware that he had been staring, before looking at the empty fireplace instead of Axel, gentleman that he was. "Sorry, Dear… Not even a log? You're _sure _something isn't troubling you? It's unlike you to desire to ignite thin air outside of battle." Receiving no response, he turned to look at a downcast face. "Axel. Listen to me." Hearing his name, Axel's head shot up to track the sound, frowning slightly, emerald eyes fatigued. "Love, I know there's something. Something that's eating away at you. No matter how bad it may seem, you can always tell me – I'm here for you. Always." Axel absentmindedly thumbed the tattoo on his cheek, as though wiping away the tear it represented. Luxord quickly wrapped his arm around his shoulders, not caring that Axel wet his cloak's hood.

"Feeling any better, Love?" Stifling a groan, his tear-stained face simply nodded, lying on Luxord's shoulder. "Guess I'm just burnt out, is all…"  
"Burned out? A pyro?" Groaning, Axel looked up at him sadly. "Please, stop with that nickname…" The British man's jaw dropped, mouthing unspoken words. Finally finding his voice, he asked the question on his mind. "Why are you rejecting it now? You've always loved it in the past! Axel… _please _tell me what's going on!" Sitting up and shaking his messy red locks, he clasped his trembling hands in his lap, staring sightlessly at his twiddling thumbs. "I… I can't…" Grabbing his shoulder to steady him and make him look in his eye, Luxord lowered his voice. "You can, Axel. You're brave, you're strong, you're fiery and resilient. Only a few of the many reasons why I love you. Now, to leave even someone such as _you_ like this, it must be horrible, almost beyond imagination. And considering you gave away a vital clue, I've prepared myself for the worst. So, fire away." Silence. "…Axel?" Observing the shuddering bundle before him, Luxord discovered that Axel was weeping again. "H-he…"  
"He what, Axel?" Gulping hard, he finally succeeded in sharing his devastating burden.

With a thud, Luxord slumped back into the couch, chest rising and falling with sharp breath, unseeing eyes darting around the room in front of him. _How did I not see the signs? I should've felt the absence of body heat during all those moments of contact. Should've recognised it as something other than shock or fear. I'll kill 'em all! I'll kill 'em all if they refuse to give it back! I'll make 'em give it back, or else-_ His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle hand on his sleeve, turning to stare into a sharp, stern face. "Don't do anything drastic, Dear." Glaring at his lover, his eyes soon softened, gazing away in shame. "Sorry… It's just… I can't believe they did that to you! I want them to give it back, or I'll make 'em pay-"  
"Luxord! Listen to yourself! That's not very gentlemanly." Luxord gaped at him, before sighing, placing his head in his hands. "You're right… I'm sorry, Love. You're probably worse off than I, even though you can cope more easily. Forgive me." Tightening his grip on the other's arm, emerald eyes scanned his face. "There's nothing to forgive. I just have… one request… Will you fulfil it?" As he turned to face him, Luxord nodded once, azure eyes taking in the relief that washed over Axel, relaxing. Smiling sadly, Axel lay his head back down on Luxord's shoulder, quietly mumbling "Please don't leave me on my own. Even if you choose to go down there, even if I wont be able to give a flaming boost, just take me with you. Please…" Nodding his promise, Luxord gently removed Axel's hand from his sleeve, taking it in both his own. "Together."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: For the purposes of this fanfic, please understand that a pyromancer is someone who uses flames to foresee the future. I think Axel is the LAST fire-wielder who would become a pyromancer, don't you?**

Axel lifted Vexen into the air by the front of his cloak, raised fist clasping around a chakram. "Tell me how to get it back!" he snarled. "Please! Have mercy! I-I'll tell you everything. Just put me down!"  
"Why should I?! A coward like you, afraid of heights?! A scientist with cryokinesis, and a _superior intellect_, can't even offer me a solution to a very." Drawing his chakram closer to his throat, he spat the next words. "_Delicate. _Situation?!" Gripping the hand at his neck, Vexen squirmed, dangling feet unable to reach the ground. "P-Please! No! Put me down, and I'll tell you all!" Axel shook him harshly, momentarily flicking his eyes in Luxord's direction. "What do you think? Can we trust him?"  
"Perhaps…" Luxord smirked. "But what is existence without a little gamble, eh?" Lifting him higher, Axel dropped Vexen in a crumpled heap on the ground, giving him a swift kick for good measure. Hearing the other blond groan, Luxord turned to look at Axel, keenly observing his erratic movements. "Listen, Love. I can understand why you're restless, but must you damage our only source of valid information this way?" The redhead sighed, holding his head in his hands, facing Luxord. The time lord embraced him, rubbing his back soothingly.

Vexen slowly picked himself up from the floor, groaning and holding his back. The air around the party turned chill as the wicked scientist's nostrils flared and his eyes lit up. His breathing grew ragged and Axel tore himself from his lover's arms, shoving him down and throwing himself out of the way as a dense ball of ice whizzed past their heads. Growling, Axel flung himself at the elderly man, pinning him down with knees either side of his chest, a bare hand gripping the loose material of his collar, free hand raised near his own ear, trying to summon a chakram. _Why isn't it working?! _The scientist sneered. "Something wrong, Number VIII? Perhaps you can't find your weapons? I took the liberty of removing them for closer inspection and experimentation. As far as I can see, I did you a great service – spikes are SO unbecoming of a pyromancer, wouldn't you agree? Why aren't you overcome with joy? Oh, of course! Silly me – I almost forgot: Nobodies don't have hearts!" Vexen winced as the redhead towering over him punched his jaw hard enough for a few audible cracks to echo around the room. His opposite cheek hit the ground and he moved his head fast enough to see Axel swiftly swiftly snatch a well-aimed card from the air between the first two fingers of his free hand, his eyes never leaving Vexen's neck. Moving the card close to his viewpoint, Axel bared his teeth, glaring. "Get your facts straight, old man. I am _not _a pyromancer! How did you manage to remove my chakrams from my private pocket dimension?" Long, dusty, blond hair matted itself as its owner shook with laughter, eyes closed from the sheer force of it. "It's all about _data,_ my dear boy!" Cackling was cut short with a croak as a blade was pressed against his throat. Eyes widened in fright as he observed one of Luxord's cards, all but a single edge coated in a thin blade. "D-d-don't act too rashly, men! As you said, I'm your only current source of information. You need me alive-" Dull green eyes rolled into the back of his head as he was knocked unconscious by a deft blow to the temple, an angry Axel on the other end of the palm.

Without a second's hesitation, the redhead had stood up and unceremoniously draped the old man over his shoulder, taking unnecessarily large steps to ensure an unsatisfactory ride. "No need to be cruel, Love. Just because the old coot doesn't have a heart of his own doesn't mean you have to act the same way. Anyway, put him down – you need to conserve your strength." Axel stopped hurriedly, the back of Vexen's head crashing into his shoulder blade as he did so. Luxord cringed, then motioned for his lover to _gently_ put the elderly blond down and back away. When he had, the blue-eyed Brit summoned some life-sized cards which swirled around Vexen, the body disappearing as the cards did. Green eyes watched in wonder before turning to the other man, a fiery eyebrow cocked in curiosity. As though reading his mind, Luxord merely shrugged and turned away, muttering "pocket dimension, albeit much more hospitable than the rest of them." He smirked, much to Axel's surprise. "Not that he'll get to enjoy it, mind you. I'm sure you're aware of how they work depending on a Nobody's abilities. After all, you materialize your weapons onto this plane through flames, correct?" The redhead nodded slowly, stunned, frowning slightly when he understood the meaning. "So, he's frozen in time until you decide to get him out of there?" Blond head bobbed in answer, before turning back to the other man. "But you did not use fire this time. What were the effects on them?" Axel clenched his gloved fist, throwing him a tiny shard of black plastic. "Considerably weakened. Cross guard, I think." Luxord nodded. "Well, Love, enough speculation for the time being. Much as I hate to have you enter a fight unprepared, I doubt we can get your weapons back before we must confront Number XI." As Axel scowled, Luxord strolled over and hugged him. "Even you have the time for love's sweet embrace before marching off to war with your own demons, but rest assured you shan't be alone. So long as time's river flows and even halts, you shall _never _be alone on your battlefield." Giggling, Axel hugged him back and playfully swatted at his arm. "_Really, _Lux? Poetry, _now _of all times?!" They laughed, placing a quick kiss on each cheek before turning and heading towards the door, hand in hand.

**A/N: I have nothing against scientists – in fact, I'm studying to be one – but I just can't stand VEXEN! If there are any Vexen fans reading this who are enraged by his abuse, I'm sorry, but have you seen how cruel he is? A violent, fiery, potentially bloody canon death still didn't give me the satisfaction I needed. Also, I am aware that he isn't THAT old, but he's one of the oldest members and he looks far older than he actually is. For the sake of this fanfic, I HAVE made him a cowardly old man. No hating – I'm just giving my opinion. Also, I'm usually better at poetry, but let's just go ahead and say that Luxord is a bad bard *laughs***


	3. Chapter 3

After walking through a maze of white marble hallways for what seemed like an eternity, the pair stumbled across a huge, elaborate oaken door where they could sense Marluxia on the other side. "At the end of every labyrinth lies a great treasure… Are you ready?" Luxord asked? His lover swallowed hard before nodding. The blond smiled softly, gently squeezing the hand in his grasp comfortingly. "Relax, Love. Even without your specialties, I'm sure you can fight him. After all, you're swift and flexible. You are _the _Flurry of Dancing Flames! Now turn those flames into strikes and reap your vengeance!" Axel gasped before grinning, squeezing Luxord's hand in return, his grin subsiding into a smirk. "You're right – I can do this! And we have all the time in the world."

Axel grunted in exertion, heaving the ornate door open to allow Luxord to slip inside. A few moments later, Luxord let out a surprised yelp of pain. "Lux!" Axel yelled, throwing himself inside the thin opening, heavy wood door slamming closed behind him. He blinked in the low light, head turning to follow each noise, swivelling at the echoes. When his eyes adjusted to the lighting, he found his lover high on one of the tall walls, bound to it by barbed vines wrapped around his wrists and ankles, a smoother one constricting around his chest and waist, tail of his cloak hanging in tatters below him. "Lux!" The redhead repeated, surging towards the figure groaning with his eyes clenched shut, gritting his teeth in an uncharacteristic snarl. "A-Axel… r-run!" His pleas fell on deaf ears as said man charged towards him only to be viciously yanked back. Turning to see what had grabbed him, he struggled against a vine coiled tightly around his wrist.

Free hand clawing desperately at the painful grip, Axel froze as he felt chills along his spine. A surprisingly soft hand cupped his cheek, slowly sliding down his neck, under his collar and over his chest. The redhead hissed through his teeth at the intrusion, removing his grip from his own arm as he snatched at the one in his shirt, only to be met with empty material. "Show yourself, coward!" Another vine snagged around his other wrist, barbs digging into the flesh, earning a pained gasp as drops of red liquid spattered against the crystalline tiles, pooling at his feet. "Oh, look at you, sullying my _perfect_ floor. If I weren't in such a generous mood today, I fear I'd have to kill you for that." Axel glared silently ahead, unwilling to move, determined not to give Marluxia an extra advantage. This time a gloved hand slowly stroked from beneath his chin to the centre of his throat, stopping just below the Adam's apple. A promiscuous blush crawled across tanned cheeks below purple teardrops and startling green eyes clouded with loathing. "Are you flustered, my dear? You're looking a little… _red._" Gritting his teeth, Axel continued to glare ahead, spitting out his response. "I'm sure it's just my hair." Marluxia chuckled, poking his head around the front to gaze at the fierce face. "I think not, Darling. You appear to have yourself in a rather… _prickly_ situation~" Cruel laughter echoed throughout the room, followed by soft sounds as Marluxia nibbled at his shoulder, licking his neck and trailing kisses up the younger man's clenched jaw. Said man's face was almost as red as his hair as he turned his head away, scowling in disgust, hoping his lover's eyes were still closed. As he turned, he discovered something about the vines.

Luxord was watching angrily, desperately struggling against his bonds as he tried to free himself so he could remove them from their current situation. Axel, catching his eye, shook his head almost imperceptibly, winking quickly before turning his head back to the front. Luxord stopped moving, silently watching the scene before him with piqued curiosity. He knew that look – his lover had a trick or two up his sleeve. Axel tilted his head back and shook his long red hair off his shoulder, exposing his neck, and let out a convincing moan that both he and Luxord knew was fake. This seemed to spur Marluxia on as the older man latched onto his neck, chuckling. "Finally succumbing to my prowess, Darling? I knew I'd get you eventually." The redhead closed his eyes and parted his mouth in feigned pleasure. "P-please… Mar-lu-xia…" Pink eyebrows raised quizzically, but he removed his teeth from Axel's flesh, shifting to follow his instructions. No sooner had he moved behind the man and gripped his hips that Axel kicked the ground as hard as he could, sending them somersaulting to land with his arms behind him, Marluxia crumpling at his feet as he let go from the shock of his head smashing into the ground. Before he had a chance to recover, the redhead brought his heel down on Marluxia's head, hard. A trickle of blood ran from his ear as all his healthy vines immediately withered and died, Axel surging from their grip to catch his falling lover. Luxord fell into the redhead's arms with a soft thud, bringing his hand up to touch their faces. Glancing towards the body, the Brit's face paled. "…Is he-" Axel shook his head, muttering "not fading" as he righted Luxord, draping an arm around his waist and using the other hand to hold an arm around his neck. "Can you walk?" Luxord nodded slowly, throwing his other arm around Axel as he took a step forward and lurched.

"What about your flames?" The redhead snapped his fingers a few times, creating not so much as a spark. Luxord's face fell. "And after all that, too…" Behind them, they heard a long, loud _creak_ and they turned towards the door. A block of the wood fell off as the vines keeping it held in place disintegrated before their eyes. Inside was a glass case containing a large, blood-red jewel. "A gemstone?" Luxord inquired, reaching his arm out towards it. "No…" Axel shook his head gently, carefully removing the blond from his person and stepping away, emerald eyes sparkling with secret knowing as he advanced towards the object. As he drew closer, it briefly flashed to a lighter hue before returning to its deep one. He opened the case and clasped his hand around the jewel, bringing it to rest on his chest, over the place of his heart. Twitching his fingers around it, he discovered it was also made of glass. Closing his eyes and inhaling through his nose, he steeled himself for what he knew he had to do. Opening his eyes and staring ahead, he swiftly clenched his hand, shattering the orb into a fine powder. He felt the heat rippling over his body, his warming blood surging through his veins, filling him with newfound strength and energy. Without even looking at them, he snapped his fingers, a handful of fire erupting above his raised palm. Luxord stared in amazement before grinning, hugging Axel from behind as he extinguished the flames, leaning his head on the pyro's shoulder. "You got your fire back, Love!" Axel smiled and turned, embracing his lover as he placed a deliberately slow kiss on his lips, as delighted with his reactions as with his abilities returning. The blond's eyes sparkled with longing, but instead gave a weary smile. "I'm afraid now isn't the time for this…" Red hair bounced as its owner nodded, scooping Luxord up in his arms and returning to their house, placing him gently in their bed and crawling in next to him. Blue eyes snapped open as the pink-haired man groaned, eventually standing up, gloved hand holding his aching head. "Mark my words, Axel. Some day soon, you _will_ be mine!"

**A/N: So, what did you all think? I hope you enjoyed it!**


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